Susan Newman Jay Baker

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Walk into the smartly dressed lobby of this glass-walled skyscraper and prepare to be greeted with a smile by the 24-hour doorman. Always on call, he is also available for dry cleaning and parcel drop-off duty – welcome services to busy urban homeowners. With unprecedented views of the Arch, downtown St. Louis, Forest Park and Clayton from large private terraces, you’ll see why high-rise condo living is turning heads in St. Louis. And the surrounding green space creates a leisurely neighborhood feeling with tree-lined streets, gabled rooflines and, in this urban high-rise, a direct view through Forest Park to the skyline of Clayton.

The elevator whisks you up to the 13th floor, which feels anything but unlucky when Veta Christy opens her front door to a beckoning view, shimmering in the distance through floor-to-ceiling windows across the front of the apartment. “At night, the view becomes very dramatic. People pop in the door and all they see are glass and lights,” she says.

Veta, a broadcast journalist, and Janet Nicoll, who is in a health care business, find the CWE to be enormously appealing, with a condo that draws the outdoors in through every window-lined room. A terrace, which wraps around the living/dining room area and reappears on one side of the master bedroom, is an adjunct to the park. On the northwest side of the terrace, Veta created the symmetrical display of topiary Korean boxwoods and has transported them from state to state over the past 12 years. In the spring, a sophisticated chaise longue will join the outdoor terrace space for soaking up the breathtaking and ever-changing landscape. “As the seasons change, and the weather fronts come in and out, the outdoor landscape becomes an ever-changing piece of art,” according to Veta.

Veta and Janet worked with Arlene Lilie of Arlene Lilie Interior Design, who is as accomplished in crisp, clean contemporary design as she is with antiques and traditional furnishings, to design their 1,860-square-foot urban space. With Arlene’s expertise, “shabby chic” and Craftsman-style pieces were replaced with furniture that is clean-lined and simple – starting with a deep-red sofa and oatmeal-colored upholstered chairs, providing nubby texture and comfort. “Arlene convinced me that red can be neutral,” says Veta. Gauzy woven drapes to soften the glass wall across the living/dining area and to filter UVA rays are on order.

But Arlene’s suggestion of tailored white linen draperies at the huge window in Veta’s office was first met with some tiny doubt. “I wanted a big flash of color and lots of design,” Veta laughs and says, “Arlene took it all in stride and very tactfully reminded me of how many yards of fabric were going up there.”

Ever graceful in defeat, Veta loves the way the quiet linen frame lets in the color and constant motion of the sky and clouds. “I guess I was thinking of something modern and zingy to tie together the bits and pieces of antiques we used,” she says, pointing to a chair bought at auction and her grandmother’s sewing machine. A scaled-down original farmhouse table transformed into a writing table with a custom-designed multi-position keyboard tray is a focal point in the airy office space.